Legacy of a Master Boat Builder

In October 1945, six Lunenburg businessmen approached turnip farmer David Stevens of nearby Second Peninsula with a proposition – could he build them six sloops by the following July? Incredibly, with help from his family, the six 29-foot boats (Valkyrie was the fifth) sailed out of the harbour on June 25, 1946. Stevens went on to build more than 70 boats in all, including the schooner Atlantica, which featured in the Maritime Provinces pavilion at Expo ’67. Valkyrie was donated to the Maritime Museum of the Atlantic by the Murphy family of Halifax in 2004. Completely dismantled and reassembled with new frames, deck, fastenings and sails, she is now used as a sail trainer by Museum staff to commemorate one of Nova Scotia’s most celebrated boat builders.